a few bad days

The last few days have been hard for Dave.  He is having flu like symptoms.....achy, bad cough, fever.  So far his fever has only gotten up to 100.5.  They want him to go to the EC (that's what Dave call it) or ER (that's what I call it) , anyway they want him to go there if his fever goes above 101.  Hopefully it will hold on below that and go back down tonight.  He is still having swelling in his legs and feet.  He had blood work labs done today and they all look good.  Please pray that he will begin to feel better before he has to go back Monday for the 2nd part of this chemo.  I hope the chemo is working.....but I also hope he never has to have chemo again.  It is just horrible what it does to him.  

my cupcake baker

Abby loves watching TLC. She watches 19 Kids and Counting, Cake Boss, and DC Cupcakes. There are probably other shows I just can't think of them right now. Every time I go to the grocery store she asks me to pick up some cake mix. Today she picked out green icing...maybe for Easter.  She has become quite the little baker. She mixes and bakes the cupcakes and then she lets Erin help her ice and decorate them. They look good and are quite tasty.

Dave had a lot of nausea during the night.  He said it was of the worst nights he has had since he began chemo.  He has slept a lot today.  I'm fixing him some yummy chicken n' dumplings for supper so maybe that will make him feel better.

Round 8 of chemo today.....well actually its round 6 of gem/tax, but he had 2 rounds of some other chemo first.  So this is what 8 rounds of chemo looks like.....not bad, huh?

He is doing ok today. He was having a little nausea but has taken some meds and is napping now. We saw the doc today. It was just a visit to make sure Dave was doing ok and address any problems he was having. Now we've got to get through this next three weeks of chemo and he will have a scan. Dr. R will take it back to the surgeon and see what they say then.  Dave will also be seeing a Urologist sometime in the next couple of weeks. The surgeon wants them to be involved since the tumor is in that area. We are super duper excited that we will probably get to go home for a week? or so after the scan. The kids are closing in on finishing English and Spelling. YAY!! Math will take a little longer. Science and History will probably take a little longer too. Our goal has been to get as much completed before Dave's surgery. Boy oh boy am I ready for summer!! Not quite ready for the Houston heat....but oh to be done with school!!!

Happy Birthday

Today, April 3rd, my Daddy turned 60 years old. Tomorrow. April 4th, my Mama will be 58......should I have typed that....oh well, she doesn't look old so I guess it's OK. They have been a good mama and daddy. Tracy, Lori, Giny, and I have always known we were loved well taken care of. We know that that they would drop whatever they are doing and come to us no matter where we are. They worked hard to always give us what we needed. They still work hard. Their jobs are just different now. They do a lot of babysitting :) We often say we don't know what we all did before Daddy retired. They have spent a lot of time here with us in Houston. We know they are only a phone call away....and they would be right back out here. I think we all would say some of our best memories are from our family vacations. Every year we go somewhere. It started with the 6 of us...then we added Bradley...then Dave... then Chloe and Abby...then Emma and Erin and Samuel....then Ryan...then Ricky...then Andrew, Ruthie, Brady, Katie, and William. now we all go...all of us...all 20 of us. and it is so much fun. Thank you mama and daddy for giving us a good childhood and good memories to cherish forever.



me and daddy...I think I'm his favorite :)

Proverbs 20:29
The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.




4 little girls

mama and her girls....I'm  probably still the favorite :)

Proverbs 31:28-30
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 16:31
Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Dave has been feeling really well this week.  We had some friends come for a visit on Tuesday and they left today.  We took the kids to the Science Museum on Tuesday afternoon and then to the Children's Museum on Wednesday.  It's so great that Dave actually felt like getting out two days in a row.  We  enjoyed having Gary and Linda with us this week.  Our kids love them too.  Gary entertained the kids and Linda helped Samuel with his English....oh how I wish she could do that everyday :) We enjoyed lots of good chats and it was just a good few days! 

The kids have been wanting roller blades for a couple of months.  So today we went to the Goodwill Store and found 3 pair of great roller blades.  They can't wait to get outside on our sidewalks and learn to skate.  We also got a small pair of nursing scrubs and a white lab coat for the girls to wear to "Awana Be" night at Awanas Sunday night.  Abby wants to dress like a nurse and Erin want to be either a veterinarian or a scientist.....the lab coat will work for either one she chooses.  Samo wants to go as an Alabama football player.  We will have some cute pictures to share next week.  So we got all that for a grand total of $37......pretty good!



3 cool new pair of roller blades

      When we went to the Children's museum yesterday, in "Mexico", Erin , Linda, and I made a cute little pair of shoes from construction paper.  Erin loved the idea so much she came home and made her baby doll a little pair of white slip on shoes.



the shoes we made at the museum



baby doll shoes

look how cute they are on the the baby doll



Abby thought their bedroom walls needed a little art......cute huh?

            

now this is a good article

Saturday our church, Grace Fellowship, and several other churches in the area worked together on a community project.  Go here to read the article that was written in the Anniston Star this morning.  Even though we were sad to miss this one,  we were able to participate during the first work project and look forward to being there for the next one.  What a great way to bring a community together and ultimately share the love of Christ with our community.

Today started out as a relaxing Saturday.  We had breakfast, watched a little T.V. and then headed outside to read a little while the kids went swimming.  Dave even came and sat by the pool with me.  I noticed Dave had put his book down and laid back with his eyes closed.  A few minutes later he sat up and said he was passing out. What??? One minute I'm reading about the Civil War and the next minute Dave is passing out.  I got up went to his chair and he would not respond to me.  I kinda freaked out.  I dialed 911 and started yelling for help.  There were several people by the pool with us.  One of the girls ran over and just helped me give instructions to the 911 operator.  She also put some water  on Dave.  Abby and Samuel ran into the clubhouse to get help.  When Dave came to, there were about 5 people standing over him.  The ambulance got there a few minutes later.  They checked his blood pressure and put him on oxygen.  I must say of all the things we have been through, this was the scariest for me.  I just couldn't get him to respond and it really scared me.  Our poor kids were scared too.  They have been so strong!!  This is the first time I have really freaked out and not really known what to do.  I know that scared the kids too.  I hate so much they have had  to experience this.  After Dave came to, he said he felt fine.  He didn't want to go to the hospital in the ambulance.  We will talk to the doctor Monday and maybe ...probably go get him checked out. He has passed out once before during his second round of chemo.  That was scary because he was standing up.  So......the EMT's checked him out really well today and walked with us back up to our apartment.  Dave felt better the rest of the day.  We had plans to take the kids to the church for a parents night out and we were able to go on with our plans.  We had a good night out and the kids had a great time playing with other kids at the church.  So it did turn out to be a good day with a little bit of scary sandwiched in the middle.